Generally speaking, thermal printers operate using printheads fastened to brackets. Whenever such printhead assemblies are replaced, the printhead is removed along with the bracket. Standard means of attaching a printhead include a printhead firmly attached to a bracket, wherein the bracket is also coupled with a ribbon diverting shaft and shaft lock clip. To replace a printhead, the whole assembly needs to be removed. To avoid the unnecessary wastage of brackets, a printhead assembly capable of disengaging the printhead from the bracket is needed.
Several attempts have been made to address this issue. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 8,366,335 by Colquitt et al. discloses a platen roller assembly for a printer having a platen roller, a retaining clip, a plurality of bearings, and a pulley assembly. In order to remove the platen roller, a screw assembly is removed by unscrewing a clip. While the reference mentions using a clip to hold together the components, the clip is not used for easy attachment/removal of the printhead to/from the bracket. U.S. Pat. No. 7,399,130 by Hirte et al. discloses a printer with quick release printhead and platen. The reference discloses guide tabs of a printhead support structure, which mate with guide slots of the printhead bracket. The assembly aligns the printhead with the platen using a pair of alignment pins projecting from the bracket, and secures it with fasteners. However, the reference does not mention any particular features of the pins (e.g., an undercut) meant for securing the retention clip in place. E.P. Pat. No. 1,055,522 by Barrus et al. discloses a thermal printer with improved ribbon transport. The reference discloses a structure where a pair of pins rises from a bottom of a gimbal plate to stabilize it. A gimbaled roller is supported in a set of bearing housings, which are attached by screws or other fastening means. Although the reference mentions a method of connecting the gimbal plate to the assembly, it does not specifically mention connecting the printhead and a bracket. Additionally, retention is performed by using nuts or screws, and not retention clips or other quick-release mechanisms.
Therefore, a need exists for a system and a method for easily attaching and removing a printhead.